Numerous permanent magnet actuators, couplings and so-called motors have been designed and built with the prime objective of increasing the power advantage and torque output from various multiple magnet arrangements and geometries. Some of these devices consist of multiple permanent-magnets which are shifted or - shunted, mechanically or electrically, in such a way as to cause continuous rotation.
None of these various devices and arrangements have become successful and commercially attractive because of their generally low-speed/torque output and relatively poor cost-effectiveness.
Since all of these devices are essentially low speed/torque units they cannot nearly compete with conventional high speed electric motors which are reliable and effective for practically all electrical power applications. Since electric motors can easily be designed for all sorts of starting, load and environmental conditions they have natually gained a wide market acceptance.
Various types of permanent magnet, magnetic (motors) have been evolved with most of the designs based on reciprocating discs and linkage, with alternating shields used to make and break the respective magnetic fields. All of these known pulsed, reciprocating units are impractical because of very short power strokes, low natural frequency and cyclic torque output.
Some of the rotary types of permanent magnet "motors" are nothing more than magnetic couplings since there is no direct and continuous magnetic leverage or torque stepup involved in their geometry.
Any type of rotating magnetic geometry in which the driven member-disc can also drive the other disc can only have the value of a magnetic coupling since there is no torque increase, with the important element of a backstop or pawl action present. To be practical, any magnetic torque converter using permanent magnets must provide either uniform attraction or repulsion from radial bar magnets on a small diameter rotor to a magnetic segmented wheel. The smaller rotor should require a minimum of input torque and the larger wheel should not be capable of back-revolving the small rotor.
The magnetic couple described has a machanical counterpart in the standard worm and worm-wheel, where a high speed worm drives a low speed wheel, and not visa-versa. For a single pitch worm there is a complete backstopping action on the wheel and a high mechanical advantage is evident.
Using the principal of the worm and worm wheel, a practical magnetic torque converter is possible with attractive prospects for a sizable torque stepup due to skewed mutual attraction between the opposite magnetic segments, although the magnets sets are revolving at right angles to each other, or nearly so.
When a permanent magnet, -magnetic torque converter is arranged in this manner, with a small high speed magnetic helical rotor revolving at a right angle to a large segmented magnet wheel, and in-line with the plane of the wheel, then the geometry is attractive for achieving practical dynamic magnetic torque conversion. It is desirable to keep the magnet segment spacing close on the large wheel/disc so that the multiple magnets on the small helical rotor can displace the wheel magnet segments in small increments with a corresponding large magnetic flux between the opposite magnet sets.
A magnetic torque converter differs from the concept of a magnetic motor in regard to a self-starting feature and input torque. A magnetic torque converter requires a continuous input torque for the small magnetic driving rotor, while a standard electric motor is always self-starting with full electrical power utilization.
The ideal magnetic torque converter provides a sizable and useful torque step-up at the large disc/wheel based on the magnitude of the magnetic flux between the opposite permanent magnet sets on each of the two revolving components. A side advantage for this manner of magnetic torque transfer using individual, opposite magnetic segments is that no friction is imposed between the two components as in the case of the mechanical contacting worm and wormwheel counterparts. The helical magnetic "worm" can run at high speed without surface-contact with a reduced-from-normal rated torque input due to the skewed magnetic attraction from the driven magnetic disc/wheel. It is almost desirable to use large and powerful permanent magnets for both opposite sets of magnetic components to achieve a large torque output differential between the driver and driven shafts.
Although the magnetic torque converter may also work by mutual repulsion of the opposite magnetic segment sets, it appears that the advantage of reduced torque input with the mutual attracting magnet sets makes the attraction of opposite magnetic poles a better mode of operation. It is most important that the magnet segments have a uniform lifting power so that the torque input and output is smooth and continuous, without any choppy and unsmooth rotation.
There are several important power applications waiting to be filled with effective, high-power magnetic torque converters, such as auxiliary home power systems and practical, low-cost electric vehicles. At the present time progress on electric vehicles is greatly restricted due to the lack of long-life, low-cost electric batteries. A high power magnetic torque converter can bridge the gap caused by ineffective batteries by providing a useful power step-up from available batteries to the electric drive motor, to improve overall electric vehicle economics, and operation.